"The Birthplace of American Liberty" and Me!
Written: Jul 18 '02 (Updated Jul 18 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: pretty, nature, recreational activities, history, close to Boston/Cambridge
Cons: no night life or pubs, lack of public transport, "mansionization"
The Bottom Line: The British are coming! The British are coming! (well, one did at least...)
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| beckytcy's Full Review: Lexington |
Lexington, Massachusetts is best known for its history-- namely the fact that the Revolutionary War began on its town common at daybreak on April 19, 1775. While a lot of the surrounding towns have become built up with strip malls and other hideous structures, Lexington has maintained a quaint, colonial feel thanks to its Historical Commission, which makes sure that nothing is built that clashes with the New England charm. If you are interested in the Revolutionary War or you just want to see a cute New England town, Lexington is worth a day trip out of Boston if you happen to be in the area. But you certainly wouldn't "go on vacation to Lexington" because it would get boring pretty fast. I know this because I have lived there for all 21 years of my life-- except when I am away at university.
Last week, my friend Philippa was visiting from England. Not only was it nice to see her, but she made me appreciate my home town. She loved Boston and Lexington and even bought an American flag to bring back to London. In preparation for her visit, I had to brainstorm things to do in this somewhat sleepy town and was inspired to write this review.
Free Things to Do
1) Drive or walk around and look at all the big houses.
Near the center of town (not where I live, in case you were wondering) there are some beautiful, old, colonial mansions. Many have beautiful gardens. Unfortunately, a problem in town in "mansionization" when people tear down smaller houses and build monstrous new houses on a lot that is too small for it. But, on Meriam Hill, you will find some classic old mansions.
2) Hang out on the Battle Green
In the center of town, is the Lexington Green. Surrounded by colonial churches, this is a lovely place for a picnic or just a chat, sitting in the sun. There are plaques around that explain what happened in the first battle of the Revolutionary War or you can take a tour with the volunteer guides (you should give them a tip, however). Every year on Patriot's Day which is the Monday nearest to 19 April, local historians re-enact the battle with the British Redcoats marching in from Boston. There is a lot of mystery surrounding this battle since no one knows who fired the first shot, The Shot Heard 'Round the World . To see the battle, you have to wake up really early, so I've only been once-- when I was six or seven years old.
Approaching the Battle Green, Philippa was afraid that Katy and I would stab her with a bayonet or shoot her with a musket, but we assured her that no British soldiers died on the Lexington Green. When they marched on to Concord, however...
3) The Minuteman
Everything in Lexington is named after the Minutemen-- our town newspaper, sports teams, various shops, etc. The Minutemen were (no, not that , Missy Elliot fans. Get your mind out of the gutter.) the Lexington militia in 1775 who were ready at any minute to fight the British Regulars whenever they came marching into town. They were mostly farmers, and the Battle Green at that time was public land for grazing animals. In the early morning of April 19, 1775, Paul Revere and William Dawes rode horses from Boston to Lexington to warn the colonists that British troops were on their way. Legend has it that they yelled, "The British are coming! The British are coming!"
The most famous landmark in town in the Minuteman Statue that's on the picture of Lexington that Epinions provides. This monument to Captain John Parker is adjacent to the Battle Green. Since it is the symbol of Lexington, Pat Buchanan chose to speak in front of it on a snowy campaign stop in 1996. Fortunately, Lexington is a fairly liberal town and more protesters than supporters turned up. My schoolmates threw snowballs toward Buchanan each time he made a racist remark. Next time, do your research, Pat.
When did you first realise
It's time you took an older lover, baby
Teach you stuff
Although he's lookin' rough -Pulp
The weekly town paper is also called the Lexington Minuteman . It is a lot of fun to read the Police Log because there are always silly things in it such as, "A woman called police to say that an intruder was walking toward her house. When police arrived, it turned out to be the mail man." (But, seriously, I am lucky to live in such a safe town.) Also, I hold a special place in my heart for this newspaper because my first paying job was writing sports articles for it when I was in high school. Once, an old woman came into the office with an entire roll of film that she had taken of the Minuteman statue's backside. ALSO... my first boyfriend was the local town reporter! How cute!
4) Outdoor Stuff
Lexington has lots of pools and parks to enjoy when the weather is good in the summer months. The town pool and the Old Resevoir require a membership fee or payment each time you use it. There are also plenty of private, neighborhood pools, including one on my street.
Lexington is a nice place to take a walk or bike ride since it has many paths including Willard's Woods, a fitness path, Minuteman National Historical Park, and many more. The Minuteman Commuter Bike Path (see what I mean about everything being named after them?) goes from Bedford to Cambridge. Formerly a train track, this path is straight and smooth and ends at the Alewife subway station, the end of the Ride Line in Cambridge. (There is a connecting path to Davis Square, the next stop, but I have never found it.) I use this most days to get to Alewife and then take the subway to work. It takes around 20 minutes (5.2 miles). It is a ten-minute ride to Harvard Square and around 20 minutes to the heart of Boston.
Wilson Farm , near where I live, has cute animals in their barn, including llamas, pigs, calves, and chicks. My brother works there as his high school job, and it sells high quality fresh produce, plants, baked goods, etc.
Lexington also has many sports fields and parks. I play in a fun slow-pitch softball league in the evenings.
Historical Activities
New this year, Lexington has a "Liberty Ride" which is a bus with a hop-on/hop-off that takes visitors to many of the historical sites in town. It costs $10 for adults but you can get discounts from at least three local hotels ( The Battle Green Inn, the Holiday Inn Express, or the Sheraton ).
Some of the historical highlights include...
Buckman and Monroe Taverns , meeting places for the revolutionaries and the British, respectively. Washington supposedly dined at Monroe tavern in 1789, which used to be a British field hospital. Unfortunately, there are no pubs in town that actually serve a pint anymore!
Hancock-Clarke House was where Samuel Adams and John Hancock were hanging out on the night of April 18, 1775. Revere and Dawes headed there to tell them of the Brits' plan to march to Lexington.
Museum of our National Heritage , run by the Masons, it has permanent collections about the history of Lexington and information about the Masons and interesting temporary exhibits, as well.
Head to the Visitor's Center , next to Buckman Tavern, where the friendly people can give you more information.
Holidays
In addition to the re-enactment, Patriot's Day features a big parade in the afternoon. Around the Fourth of July , which is actually my favorite holiday (surprising, eh?), Lexington hosts a large carnival with rides and sets off an impressive fireworks show on the 5th.
The Center
There are many good restaurants in Lexington Center including two Chinese, one Indian, at least four Italian, and a couple of sandwich and bagel shops. Via Lago has good sandwiches for lunch. Of course there is a Starbucks and a Dunkin' Donuts, as well (blah). The restaurants can serve alcohol, but, tragically, there are no pubs. So, people have to go into Cambridge or Boston to go to bars. But at least Lexington isn't as bad as its neighbor Arlington, which doesn't even have liquor stores!
Lexington doesn't have much in the way of shopping unless you are looking for high priced souvenirs. There used to be a Gap and a sporting goods store, but they went out of business. Decelle's is a cheap clothing store if you need socks or something while you are in Lexington.
Lexington has a cinema called The Flick which shows movies for cheap after they have left the multi-plexes. It only has two screens and doesn't smell particularly good, however.
Demographics and Transportation
Lexington has a population of about 30,000 and is approximately 7 miles Northwest of Boston. From Boston, take Storrow Drive to Route 2 West. By public transportation, take the Red Line subway (underground train) to Alewife and then the #76 or #62 bus to Lexington Center. The subway (known as the "T") costs $1 per ride and the buses cost $0.75. Unfortunately, the "T" busses stop running to Lexington at around 9 PM. It costs $4 per 24-hour period to park at Alewife. The LexPress bus has six routes around Lexington that start in the center of town. It leaves on the hour or the half hour and costs $1. The LexPress does not run at night, either. Parking in Lexington is very easy. There are several lots in Lexington Center that cost around $0.25 per hour.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
beckytcy
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Member: Becky
Location: Boston
Reviews written: 275
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